Wednesday Bolts – 6.22.11

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com on the CBA negotiations: “It will be interesting to see if the players come back with a counterproposal within the flex-cap framework. Don’t bet on it. But for the sake of argument, while it may be intuitive to think the players would want a wide salary range, a smaller range actually would be better for players – because more teams would be willing to exceed the target than exceed the minimum. That’s the part of the problem that changing the cap formula won’t address without more revenue sharing, which owners have thus far refused to collectively bargain. In order for there to be a deal by June 30, Hunter said, “Someone someone has to make a big move.” Otherwise, the room will go dark again and the next move will be a lockout.”

Darnell Mayberry on the TMZ question to KD: “It’s time for folks in Oklahoma to lose the inferiority complex. Some people already are making this into a big deal. It’s not. This is a great state with great people. Durant has said that countless times. But it shouldn’t matter how one person or even the rest of the country views us. Yet, it seems so many that live here need constant validation for every little thing, and that segment of the population rushes to anger at the slightest of slights. I don’t get it.”

Berry Tramel on Scott Brooks: “So far, Brooks has remained quite fresh. His team has improved every year since he got the job. The Thunder has avoided major chemistry issues. The future is bright. Brooks looks like a Thunder long-timer. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Brooks near the top of the list in a couple of years. Of course, you never know. A sprained ankle here, a bitter contract negotiation there, everything changes. You’ve got to stay on top of a team to keep it humming at a competitive level. But Brooks’ status with the Thunder has done nothing but grow since his hiring.”

Henry Abbott of TrueHoop on psychology and hoops: “But there are tests, and discussion to be had. We know some stuff. Plenty of people find personality tests helpful, swear by them even, and as conversation starters or tools for self-examination, who could argue? I am convinced Sports Aptitude whiffed on some elements of my personality. But the broader exercise — including talking to experts about tests, getting friends and family to weigh in on my personality, and writing this blog post — has been enlightening and helpful, if not tidy. And in my experience, that’s just how the truth really is — more than a little messy.”

Kevin Pelton for ESPN Insider on OKC’s needs: “The temptation is to list “none” for the Thunder’s weakest position. In terms of Players 1-10, Oklahoma City was as deep as any team in the league, and the top eight are all under contract for next season. Should Nazr Mohammed walk, the Thunder will somehow make do with more minutes for Nick Collison and either Byron Mullens or Cole Aldrich stepping in as backup center. Re-signing Cook is a bit more important, since he provides long-distance shooting off the bench, but Cook played less than 15 minutes a game last year.”

Ben Cohen for Grantland with a nice draft piece: “Most teams will roll the dice on a raw prospect and hope he develops. Others will trade down to stockpile picks. Some don’t know what they’ll do until they’re on the clock. It all depends on a team’s foundation, its owner’s aspirations, and its general manager’s tolerance for risk.”

I could not agree more with Darnell. Some people around OKC have some fragile egos when it comes to their town. Cities like NY and Philly are always talking bad about the other. The people who live there don't pay it any attention. We need to toughen up when it comes to this stuff.

@TygaBloodSingler shot 38.3% his sophomore year and 39.9% from 3-point range his junior year. One must consider the whole body of work, especially his excellent statistics on the great run to the NCAA championship. He carried that team.

This is all besides the fact that the Thunder may have a gaping hole the size of James Harden on the bench that a guy like Hamilton could certainly grow into while Kyle Singler does nothing that the team needs to advance further in the playoffs.

Hamilton shot a similar percentage than Singler from 3PT range despite higher volume and I suspect many more of his attempts coming off the dribble and contested. Singler's handle is not as good as Hamilton's, not even close. His turnover #'s are not 'much much lower' than Hamilton's, they turn it over at a similar clip per possession.

@justinFrom the film I've seen, especially the championship game, Singler doesn't have too many weaknesses in his game (he dribbles well, he doesn't turn the ball over, he makes smart entry passes, he takes open shots, he's a very willing and effective defender), he doesn't need the ball to contribute and he makes his teammates better. That's a role player.

Hamilton plays more athletically. I'm not sure why you think Singler has better role player potential, he's a poor shooter, doesn't have a great handle, won't be able to defend quicker players, etc. "Role player potential" sounds like a way of describing a player without discernible talent.

Singler is also most likely close to his athletic peak while Hamilton is not.

@DXLThose guys are a dime a dozen if you ask me. there are several profiles in this league. Much like the superstar. To get a guy like Nick was luck. He was a volume scorer in NCAA. He had to completely revamp himself for the pros. ( BTW i would love to see some plays ran at him) I think when we are looking at these kats the questions shouldn't be "what are they now?" but "what can they become?" both mentally and physically. The only players that i see who can be more than what they are: Honeycutt and Reggie Jackson. Not the sexiest of picks but Jackson has the tools to be a good defender/shooter/passer/spark and Honeycutt has the tools to be a good defender/shooter/passer/spark . These other guys look good now but i just dont see much in them. Either way at the 24th i see at least two years of development. Gotta earn his mins.

My problem with Singler is that he would not have a role on this team or really do anything that Nick Collison doesn't do. For Singler to be successful he'll have to be able to play PF IMO, like Matt Harpring did, because he lacks the lateral quickness and athleticism to succeed at SF. He's 23 so he's not some blue chip prospect who's going to develop into a better player behind a veteran.

He's underwhelming and doesn't fit a need at all. We need some decent bench scoring from either the guard positions or the front court. There are plenty of guys in this draft around #24 that would have a much better chance of filling that role than Singler.

@gokcSingler reminds me of Matt Harpring, except with more height and length. He could have a long, productive career as a role player.

They say he has the ego-less psychological profile. Not every guy does.

For instance, Singler had similar career statistics to Jordan Hamilton, but he did way more of the dirty work, and his team was more successful because of that. Can Jordan Hamilton be effective (and happy) if he isn't given volume shots and minutes? Is he willing to be a demon in practice? To be a floorburn energy guy in 5 or 10 minutes a game? I don't think so.

who r the scrappy role players in the nba... ron artest, matt barnes, toney allen, nick collison, etc? I dont see singler as being able to develop into that player. You cant be unathletic and scrappy at small forward n b effective. and even players like toney allen, the bowens, arent effective scrappy role players until theyve spent years in the league

I'm all for Mirotic at this point. He sounds like he'll be pretty awesome here in a few years (and we don't really need him any time soon), and if he doesn't pan out, it's not a big loss.

Also, I'm big on instant gratification. I love having a new player come in and get to know their personality and all that. That's why I was excited about Aldrich this last year, even though I suspected he wouldn't play much. I wouldn't mind taking someone like Honeycutt, if only to have something immediate to talk about, instead of the "Has anyone heard anything about Pleiss?" comments we get every few weeks. Just not as fun to discuss.

@Daniel Plainview1) Mirotic, if you can afford to be patient2) Singler or Jimmy Butler, for safe role player picks.

I've watched enough game film on both Mirotic and Singler. Mirotic has star potential, Singler will be a scrappy role player. I haven't watched enough of Butler but his efficiency stats, team achievements and Portsmouth MVP award are impressive.

I think the small school guys are overrated and Honeycutt, at 187 pounds, is a skinny shooting guard.

So what? Im still not sure if you think SIngler is what we need or if you just thought he is better than my proposal for Honeycutt.. not trying to go Mob on you, but I think youre the only one warm to Singler tune

Id probably draft Kanter ahead of Willaims. I could be dead wrong about Williams, Ive already admitted Im a better evaluator of football talent than I am of Basketball, but something about Willaims game didnt look right to me when I watched him play. I woudbt be surprised if he did not finish in the top 8 in all rookie voting at the end of teh year. Seems liek a slower Michael Beaselyw ith a weaker three

From the last thread, I have found the fan reaction in Phoenix to Nash being shipped very interesting. The vibe I get is that they love Nash so much they want him sent to a contender to round out his career because Phoenix isn't getting it done.

Did anyone see the rumor that San Antonio is shopping Tony Parker for a lottery pick?